Garbett Homes is proud to be Utah’s only locally owned homebuilder that builds to the US Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home standard by default. This standard is focused on trying to consume as little energy as possible as efficiently as possible. This article highlights a crucial piece of technology to reach that standard. The Energy Recovery Ventilator system, or ERV.
What is an ERV?
A crucial component of your new Utah home’s HVAC system, the Energy Recovery Ventilator plays an important role in your home. Facilitating an exchange of temperature between incoming fresh air and outgoing contaminated air. 
How?
Let’s say that while preparing the food for your housewarming party you burn dessert. To get rid of the smell of burnt sweets you turn on the kitchen vents. Enter the ERV. As the “contaminated” burnt air leaves the home, fresh air comes is brought in from outside to replace it. These two airstreams then meet at the ERV and flow past each other in an “X-Formation”. The outgoing air will then passively heat or cool the incoming air! Without affecting the quality of the fresh air thanks to the advanced filtration within the ERV.
Why Does That Matter?
It comes back to using the least amount of energy possible. Any exchange of temperature done passively through the ERV equates to less active work your HVAC system needs to do. The less your HVAC system works the less energy it uses. This translates to significant savings! Allowing your dollars to stretch further.
A good HVAC system is a crucial piece to the long-term value of your new Utah Home. Not only is it the largest cost sink when it comes to your energy bill, they can be costly to replace. Which is why we at Garbett Homes feel that it is our responsibility to provide the best HVAC and most efficient HVAC system we can. To learn more about the ERV and everything else we do to build the best Zero Energy Ready Homes in Utah, why not visit one of our model homes today.
